Pink pomelo, a specialty fruit, brings prosperity to rocky soil.

(Baonghean)On the hillsides and sloping land of Quang Tien ward (Thai Hoa town), there is a variety of pomelo with smooth, pink flesh that is sweet and refreshing to eat. This is the Quang Tien pink pomelo. For a long time, this fruit has become a familiar local delicacy for the people of Thai Hoa.

Native plants become commodities.

Leading us to her garden, where 350 pink pomelo trees were laden with fruit, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (Trung Nghia Hamlet) shared: "The land here is mostly sloping and rocky, so no trees can survive. Before the pink pomelo trees took root here, people could only grow cassava and jackfruit. The yield was low and the price was also poor, so life was extremely difficult."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, from Trung Nghia Hamlet, Quang Tien Ward (Thai Hoa Town), introduces her family's pink pomelo orchard.

"My family saw that Mr. Quang's family in Doc Cao Hamlet had a type of pomelo with pink flesh and thin rind that produced a lot of fruit, so we decided to buy a large tree to try planting it. Then we grafted many saplings to expand. In the first two years, the tree grew healthily, and at the end of the third year, it started bearing fruit. Everyone in the family picked and ate it, and they were very happy to find the fruit sweet. By the fourth year, it started bearing fruit, and although not yet abundant, each tree yielded nearly 50 kg of fruit. In 2005, my family began grafting branches, increasing the number to 350 trees, planting nearly 1 hectare. Currently, on average, we harvest nearly 5 tons of pomelo each year, earning a profit of over 200 million VND," added Ms. Loan.

Currently, in Trung Nghia commune, there are nearly 20 households growing this pomelo variety commercially. Some households plant 300 to 400 trees, while others plant just over a dozen. To increase income during the first three years, before the pomelos bear fruit, the people here have implemented intercropping to generate short-term income while waiting for the pomelos to mature. The main crop planted is sugarcane. On average, each hectare of pomelo trees is intercropped with about 60 rows of sugarcane, each row yielding about 200 kg of standing sugarcane. With a selling price ranging from 170,000 to 200,000 VND per 10 kg of sugarcane, the end of the season can bring in tens of millions of VND. In recent years, people have also started intercropping pineapples, which generate income comparable to sugarcane but are easier to sell.

According to many locals, because it is a native variety, the pink pomelo is less susceptible to pests and diseases and adapts well to the local climate. The fruit is quite large, with an average weight of 1 kg to 1.5 kg per fruit, and some fruits weighing up to 2.5 kg. Previously, the price of pomelo was only 15,000 to 20,000 VND/kg, but now it has increased to 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg.

Some households sell 200 to 300 kg of fruit per day during the harvest season. Currently, the area planted with Quang Tien pink pomelos in Trung Nghia and Doc Cao wards covers 20 hectares, of which 10 hectares are producing fruit. By developing local varieties, Quang Tien plants 3-4 hectares of this pomelo variety each year. Both wards have over 300 households, and every garden has at least two pomelo trees. Besides selling the fruit, the people also graft cuttings to produce seedlings for sale to neighboring areas such as Tan Ky and Yen Thanh at a price of 50,000 VND per tree. Each year, the entire ward sells approximately 4,000 seedlings. Thanks to the income from pomelo cultivation, the lives of the people here have gradually stabilized over the years, with some households becoming relatively wealthy.

Expanding into other provinces

In October 2004, the Phu Quy Fruit and Industrial Crop Research Center conducted a trial planting of the Quang Tien pink pomelo variety. The results showed that the Quang Tien pink pomelo has outstanding advantages: high yield and low susceptibility to pests and diseases. On July 12, 2012, the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) issued a decision recognizing this as an agricultural crop variety for further investment, and the local authorities also focused on its development.

Pink pomelos are helping many households in Quang Tien ward rise out of poverty and become wealthy (Illustrative image).

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Head of the Economic Department of Thai Hoa Town, said: Recognizing the economic value that the pink pomelo variety brings, the town has made certain investments in recent years to develop it according to a rational plan. Currently, the entire town has nearly 80 hectares planted with pink pomelo, of which nearly 70% is currently producing fruit. The product has been widely consumed within the province, and there are even orders for consumption in Hanoi, Hai Duong, and Thanh Hoa.

Besides Quang Tien ward, the Nghia Thuan, Nghia My, and Nghia Tien areas have also started developing this crop in the last 3 to 4 years. Initial results show that the crop is growing quite well and yielding high productivity. This promises many positive signs in the future.

Thanh Quynh